Justice Adeniyi Ademola of the Federal
High Court, Abuja has fixed May 27,2014 for ruling on the application for
bail variation brought by Aliyu Bello, a former special assistant to the
Director of Administration (Pension Account), and Abdullahi Omeiza, a school
teacher in Sokoto who are standing trial on a 5-count charge bordering on
criminal conversion and obtaining over One Billion Naira (N1billion) from the
Pension Account, Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, by
false pretence.
The Defence Counsel, Mahmud A. Magaji had
filed a 12-paragraph affidavit, and a further affidavit supported by a written
address urging the court to grant the application.
Emmanuel Egwuagu, holding brief for
prosecuting counsel, Godwin Obla (SAN) did not oppose the application.
It will be recalled that Justice Ademola
had earlier granted the accused persons bail in the sum of N366, 000,000 (Three
Hundred and Sixty Six Million) each and a surety in like sum but the accused
persons have been unable to meet their bail conditions since last year.
One of the charges read: “That you Aliyu
Bello and Abdullahi Omeiza, at various times between 2009 and 2010 within the
jurisdiction of this honourable court, obtain by false pretence and with intent
to defraud, from Pension Account, Office of the Head of Service of the
federation of Nigeria, various sums in the aggregate amount of N281,623,351.87.
(two hundred and eighty one million, six hundred and twenty three thousand,
three hundred and fifty one naira, eighty seven kobo) through various third
parties and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 1(1) (A) of the
Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under
section 1(3) of the same Act”.
Wilson
Uwujaren
Head, Media & Publicity
22nd May, 2014
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